100 Years of Who's Who in Baseball

Book Description

In celebration of the 100th issue of Who’s Who in Baseball—one of the game’s most venerable publications—comes a century's worth of the annual's iconic covers, insightful breakdowns of the players featured on those covers, and informative accounts of the baseball history tied to each year’s issue.

100 Years of Who’s Who in Baseball is a colorful, must-have book of baseball nostalgia for fans of the American Pastime.

The start of the baseball season brings with it a host of annual traditions and reminders, and one of the most beloved—the annual Who’s Who in Baseball—arrives on newsstands across the country every Spring Training. The 2015 season marks 100 years of Who’s Who delivering year-by-year stats to generations of baseball fans to quickly and easily track a player’s performance from the minors to the majors. And while Who’s Who is trusted as an authoritative source of baseball statistics and has been used by generations of club executives, broadcasters, journalists, and fans—it’s the publication’s cover subject that each year generates as much hot-stove speculation and buzz as off-season rumors of trades, firings, and pitching rotations.

In partnership with Who’s Who in Baseball, this celebratory book features each of the annual's 100 iconic covers in full color along with an account of why the player rated the cover and what was going on in baseball at the time. From baseball’s deadball era to the dawn of “replay review,” this collection offers a gorgeously illustrated history of the game.

About Lyons, Douglas B.

Who's Who in Baseball traces its origins back to its being a spin-off of the popular Baseball Magazine deep in baseball’s dead ball era. The first issue appeared in 1912, and the second issue appeared in 1916, with Ty Cobb on the cover. The publication has come out each spring since. Harris Publications, Inc. (through its division, Who’s Who in Baseball Magazine Co.,) has published the book since 1956. The basic cover-design format of red cover background and black type has been used since the 1940s, and the look of this great publication is so recognizable to readers that the editors feel comfortable covering up most of the word BASEBALL in the logo.

Douglas B. Lyons is a leading authority on all things baseball. He is the author of Out of Left Field, Curveballs and Screwballs, and Short Hops and Foul Tips, all of which he co-wrote with his brother Jeffrey. He also wrote Broadcast Rites and Sites: I Saw It on the Radio with Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione.

Marty Appel is the author of many books, including Pinstripe Empire and most recently the New York Times bestseller Munson. Following his years as the Yankees’ public relations director, he became an Emmy Award–winning television producer and director of Marty Appel Public Relations. Appel lives in New York City and appears frequently on ESPN, HBO, the MLB Network, and the YES Network.